Wireless cleanup gets House OK

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to create a trust fund to help pay the costs of untangling the U.S. wireless spectrum.

Lawmakers passed the measure by a vote of 408 to 10, paving the way for the government to sell to commercial users airwaves currently used by federal agencies. The proceeds would then be put in a trust fund to cover the cost of moving those agencies to another chunk of the wireless spectrum.

"The legislation ensures that sufficient airwaves will be available to support millions of wireless users," said Steve Berry, senior vice president of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), a wireless phone industry trade group.